As long as you realize its not a quick fix. My neighbor got it as a quick fix and she hasnt lost any weight since she got it over a year ago. Because she thought she would still be able to eat whatever she wanted and thats not the case.

I don't like the ripout room, operating room, so I decided against it. Surgery scares me. Being big scared me too so I found Jenny Craig which in turn got me here to Sp. Both sites together with the menus and tools have been a godsend for me.

Gastric Bypass surgery is a very personal decision! I looked into it; went to the info meeting, started seeing the dietition to get the paperwork started... and decided it wasn't the right path for me. I wasn't willing to admit that I had given it 110% and I haden't - I didn't try CONSISTENT exercise and lifestyle changes. That's what I've been doing and am down 50 lbs so far with another 90 to go. However, I do know several people who have great success with it. My neighbor is down 100 pounds (we're workout buddies so we go to the gym together) and her daughter is having surgery this summer. My cousin did it and now looks fantastic! Like I said, it's a very personal decision and you should do what's best for YOU!

The docotr who oversee's all the people on the biggest loser, recently divulged that 1 out of 10 patiens die from Bariatric surgery. This of course is not common knowledge. People do gain the wt back, I'd rather have a smaller portion, than be on all the vitamins, potential anemia due to lack of ability to absorb normal food intake. Besides most insurance companies only approve it if you have so many medical problems its a last resort. I wouldn't want to be on that table for nothing. Then when you see the skads of hanging skin all over, gross....Rethink this option, everyone is different.

I now people who have gained back the weight or never even lost weight. You still have to change your lifestyle after the surgery or it won't work. I'm changing my lifestyle without the surgery.

DIVINE40
Posts:
672
1/29/10 4:19 A

i have a friend that did for her birthday one year. when i saw here a few years later, she had gained it all back and more. she said that it was the worse thing she could have done. i say to each his own, but please lots of research. ladies, you have offered some awesome advise.

hi. i have trouble lossing wieght, i am from a big family . the thing right now is that i new knee replacement soon but thay will not do it untill i loss wieght. i do now walk very good i use a walker. can not stand for more then 5 mins. i am seeing a new doctor about it next week hope to see is he can do it. i have seen a doctor about surgury but he has me checking food i eat and wiehgting every morning. go bk to him next week too. getting depressed with it all. ty for listeining

My BF and business partner had it done last year and is very happy. She is also going to the gym every day to promote her new good health and is watching what she eats. In short, you still have to do the work and change your ways. No more bucket sized big gulps of Coke and bags of chips. If your health is in question, you do what you have to.

Spark people saved me from going the bypass or l band route. I believe I will lose the weight because I am addressing my issues and learning how to eat healthy

JILLIEWILLE1
Posts:
771
1/26/10 10:56 A

My sister had G-Pass in 2005. She went from a size 30 to a 14 in 12 month. As of Feb. 2009 she had gained all but 15 lbs. back. She now is considering L-band (I don't know how). MY problem with these surgeries is it doesn't take care of how you got that way in the first place.

I am not at the point where I am eligible, weight wise. But, I have had a couple of friends that have opted for this surgy. One had the lap band and has done very well, she is by no means skinny but has successfully lost 80. She says it is her own fault she hasn't lost more because she still struggles with her eating and doesn't exercise as she should. The other friend had the full bypass. In order to be eligible weight wise she had to gain another 30 pounds. She did this and ate fast food every meal and had 6-8 meals a day for one month and gained the weight. Well, she lost very quickly but had a lot of loose skin. She says she can afford to have the surgery to remove the excess skin, is back to eating fast food and now 3+ years out has begun to gain.

I think I won't go either route. For me, it is adjusting my eating & exercise habits. Because it has been so cold I am not walking right after work but this too will change.

Good luck to all!!!

MSNAPPY
Posts:
10
1/19/10 8:56 P

I have though of it but then changed my mind because if I don't get my mind set in order.

I have friends that did the surgery and then because they didn't deal with the mental side were unsuccessful.

DIVINE40
Posts:
672
1/19/10 4:40 P

this is an awesome thread. ladies, you give excellent advise. i had considered it. but was very scared to do so. for every pro there is a con. so definitely soemthing to give major consideration. do lots of research. best wishes.

My cousin had this surgery, and has had nothing but problems since she had it. Yea she lost alot of weight. But now instead of having a firm toned body from exercise it all turned to pure flab just hanging. Now she has to have surgery to get rid of it. She's also having problems with her kidney's and her liver.

Also she has had a stroke and a heart attack since then.She has had many problems since having the surgery. She said if she had to do it over again she would lose the weight the old fashion way.

I think I'll pass on this surgery. I didn't put this weight on over night. I'll take it one day at a time.

Oh And I wanted to mention my cousin is only 34 years old. So young to have so many problem like this from this kinda surgery.

Never had it...never will. The thing that gets me is this: IF someone has an eating disorder, and they still eat as they did before, the stomach WILL stretch....therefore, it is completely possible to gain some, if not all, of the weight back. I have heard about, and seen, those who have had the surgery gain back weight, and fight to lose it again. I also know of a woman who is malnutritioned due to the surgery. Another woman has to get some type of infusion on a monthly basis because of the surgery. As with all surgery, if it were that simple and successful, we all would have done it by now I'm sure. Personally, the ONLY way I would consider it is if I give myself at LEAST a 6 month window of an honest "lifestyle change" (I hate the word diet)and nothing changes. Peace be your journey......

Nearly every hospital has a bypass support group. It's full of wonderful people who can help you decide what's best for you. I am working on getting the LapBand myself. But, like the people here have shared, it's only a tool. You are ultimately responsible for how you use (or abuse) this tool.

I had RNY Gastric Bypass 02/21/2007 I was 19, 309 with policystic ovarian disease. Winter of 2008 I was 184 Sadly with no excercise. Since I didnt get into the habbit of exercising i had gained the weight esp because i am a stress eater. So now im up to 216. BUT ive decided to learn how to fix that which is why i joined spark people. I dont regret having the surgery, just not exercising because I do have extra skin. I no longer have policystic ovarian disease. I can eat whatever i want, except milk makes me feel a lil ill so now i drink protein soy milk which i love. Sugar also makes me REALLY sleepy so its good to cut back on that.

Too afraid. But I am trying to save $ for plastic surgery. If I lose 150 I know I will want/need tummy tuck, breast reduction and probably upper arms and maybe thighs. I have not done any research about it. 2012 is probably the soonest anything like that could be considered. And that is a very scary consideration. Anyone had that?

I had gastric bypass surgery 6 1/2 years ago. Lost over 160 lbs and have been fortunate to keep it all off but 15 pounds, which I have now taken off again over the past few months with Sparks. The surgery was beyond a doubt great for me, yet I have never recommended it to anyone else. In my mind it is a very personal decision which when it goes wrong can result in a diminished life style or even in some cases death. When it goes right, it can resulti in a new life in just about every way imaginable, which can good or bad too depending.

For anyone considering the surgery the one thing I will say is do lots and lots of research. Obesityhelp.com is a great place to start. The most important thing is to find the best surgeon possible. Get a surgeon who has done lots of the surgeries. You do not want to be the one they are practicing on with this surgery. And make sure they have a whole program which includes support groups, dietitians, a mental evaluation, the whole nine yards. Because losing the weight is really only part of the battle and I am not sure it is even the biggest part of the battle.

I had lap band in July 2008 after researching both bypass and lap band. For me, the biggest reason I chose lap band was that I wanted to keep the digestive tract intact withouth "bypassing" any normal digestion of food. If I had to do it all over again, I would only change 1 thing. In my 6 months pre op I didn't add any exercise because my weight and my asthma gave me the excuse to not. I wish I had because my muscle tone is not good. I exercise some now, but I think I should do more. I am thrilled with the surgery, my band as a tool tool to help keep me on track and my support group.

The support group is key - check them out pre surgery and stick with it. I think that's the key to longterm success.

PS - I have maintained this weight for 5 months and have just increased my goal for those last 15 lbs. It's the longest maintenance I have ever had!

Hi I had surgery about 7 weeks ago. It not easy out of the gate. It does get little easier as the day's pass. I lost 38lb and I am very excited. I can eat soft things like cottage cheese, yogart,cheese. I did have my fist meal last night one scallop one shrimp and 1 tsp mash potaote and Butternut SQ. I would do it again, but make sure you are ready for it.

FRIENDLYSMILES1
Posts:
296
8/16/09 3:02 P

Gastric Bypass is a great tool but without the help of understanding why you overeat in the first place it will come back. I had the Gastric Bypass surgery 8 years ago. I gained back 100 lbs of the 152lbs I had lost. I am starting to lose again but it is tough and I would definitely advise anyone who is thinking of sugary to research it thoroughly and also seek help with the understanding of what makes you overeat in the first place. Together it can be a very successful outcome.

Appreciate the response. I was wondering if you could share in what way it has most impacted your life. Really interested in the negative as well as positive feedback. In what ways has it affected your daily life, social life and relationships.

I am still researching but have pretty much made up my mind this is what I want to do. Can you share of some of your expericences. I really need to hear as much about the negative as the positive. How has it affected your daily life and relationships.

Thanks, Judith. I think that really is good advice, but I think I need to get some help for my compulsive eating disorder... and then I might want the surgery anyway, because when I feel fat I eat. When I feel skinnier I'm more likely to eat healthy (weird, huh?!) But I also would need to make sure that I didn't compulsive eat when things go wrong in my life. You definitely gave me something to think about though.

I had gastric bypass surgery eight years ago and am very sorry I did it. I don't like to be negative, but I did eventually gain back all but about 20 lbs. The thing I didn't really get is that unless you make exercise and dieting a lifelong habit, it is possible to gain the weight back. So, why not just do the exercise and dieting without the surgery? I'll take Spark People over the surgery any day. It's the best way to get and stay healthy! I love it.

I totally agree with TKNCNTRL. Been there, done that nine years ago and would do it over again in a heartbeat!

I can eat just about anything except sugar on an empty stomach. It is a lifestyle change to HELP you get to your goal weight. The appetite in the mind still has to be controlled or you can gain some of the weight back (been there, done that too and not proud of it). Once I realized that eating healthy and exercise is a must, then the gained weight came off pretty quickly.

I had the RNY which was more effective for me. I have a friend that considered the LapBand, but did not like the idea of the maintenance involved. So she had the RNY and has been very successful.

You might want to get some opinions from folks that have had RNY on The Gastric Bypass Sparklers team. There is a lot of good info there and you can learn from real life experiences.

I had RNY gastric bypass on 1/5/09. It is a huge life change. My suggestion would be to research, research and research some more. Really get to know yourself and all the surgeries offered. These are not one size fits all surgeries. YOU have to be willing to make the changes for life. I would recommend checking out www.obesityhelp.com read each surgery board, read the revisions board and see how things work. It helped me make the right choice for myself. I wish you the best of luck.

I was thinking about it too, I have been big all my life. My Uncle and neighbor across the street had it done and they didn't lose anything but gained..and did you watch Biggest Loser Couples last season, Ron had the surgery and gained more weight back then he lost he has lost more on biggest loser. This lady at work had it done and she can't eat grapes or raisins without it giving her the runs. And she said something about not being able to control her bowels and bladder. Not really what I want. Don't want to be close and cuddly with my guy and OOPS!! I've been doing some research and trying to find other ways to shrink stomach without surgery, I found that if you eat smaller portions for about 5 weeks that your stomach will shrink a little and you will eat less, but you have to cut normal portions down...I am used to the bigger portions and thats why i am bigger. So I am researching correct portion sizes and going to stick with that. I am not sure how liquid works, if that stretches your stomach out like food when you have too much. Part of me wants the surgery but then again its surgery and as with any surgery there is always a risk, what's the risk in reducing portion sizes of food. I just gotta get distracted after eating so I am not bored and want more. So I bought a bike to go out and ride as a distraction plus its exercise or I like dancing to music. I actually went as far as being approved for it but at that time my insurance wouldn't cover it but now it would. But I am going to try smaller portions first. Give it 6 weeks and see if it helps. I just started week one. How long you been thinking about bypass? Did you try looking at a Gastric Bypass website or google for Gastric bypass and see if people rate there experiences.. Maybe Carnie Wilson, she used to have a website.

Hello there How is everyone doing? Hope well I have been thinking of doing Gastric Bypass and want to know what everybody thinks of it or has anyone ever experienced it? Let me know what you'll think of it....

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